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Abstract:

A bearing arrangement for mounting a gear bolt (1) as the bearing axle
for a gearwheel (2) in a transmission housing. The gear bolt (1) is held
in the transmission housing by only a single component in the form of an
intermediate plate (3).

Claims:

1-6. (canceled)

7. A bearing arrangement for mounting a gear bolt (1) as a bearing axle
for a gearwheel (2) in a transmission housing of a vehicle, the gear bolt
(1) being mounted in the transmission housing by only a single component
in a form of an intermediate plate (3).

8. The bearing arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the intermediate
plate (3) has a stirrup-shaped extension (5).

9. The bearing arrangement according to claim 7, wherein first and second
bearing points are provided for securing the gear bolt (1).

10. The bearing arrangement according to claim 9, wherein a first bearing
bore (6) is provided as the first bearing point approximately in a middle
on the stirrup-shaped extension (5) of the intermediate plate (3) and a
second bearing bore (7) is provided directly in the intermediate plate
(3) as the second bearing point, opposite the first bearing bore (6).

11. The bearing arrangement according to claim 10, wherein the gear bolt
(1), retained by the first and the second bearing bores (6, 7), is
secured to the intermediate plate (3) by a screw connection (8).

12. The bearing arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the gear bolt
(1) is the bearing axle for a reversing gearwheel (2) mounted thereon by
at least one needle bearing (9).

13. A bearing arrangement for supporting a gear bolt (1) in a
transmission housing of a vehicle, the bearing arrangement comprising: an
intermediate plate (3) having a U-shaped extension (5) extending
therefrom, a base of the U-shaped extension (5) having a first bore (6)
and the intermediate plate (3) having a second bore (7) and the first
bore (6) being coaxial with the second bore (7), the first bore (6)
receiving a first end of the gear bolt (1) and the second bore (7)
receiving an opposite second end of the gear bolt (1), the gear bolt (1)
being secured for preventing axial rotation thereof relative to the first
and the second bores (6, 7), and a gearwheel (2) being rotatably
supported on the gear bolt (1) by at least one bearing (9).

14. A bearing arrangement for supporting a gear bolt (1) in a
transmission housing of a vehicle, the bearing arrangement comprising: an
intermediate plate (3) having a U-shaped extension (5) extending
therefrom, the U-shaped extension (5) and the intermediate plate (3)
being formed as a single integral component with a base of the U-shaped
extension (5) being spaced from the intermediate plate (3), the base of
the U-shaped extension (5) having a first bore (6) and the intermediate
plate (3) having a second bore (7), and the first bore (6) being
coaxially aligned with the second bore (7), the first bore (6) receiving
a first end of the gear bolt (1) and the second bore (7) receiving an
opposite second end of the gear bolt (1), a gearwheel (2) being rotatably
supported on the gear bolt (1), between the base of the U-shaped
extension (5) and the intermediate plate (3), by at least one bearing
(9), the opposite end of the gear bolt (1) has a cavity that is aligned
with a third bore of the intermediate plate (3), and a pin (8) being
secured in the third bore and received by the cavity in the gear bolt (1)
for preventing axial rotation of the gear bolt (1) with respect to the
first and the second bores (6, 7).

Description:

[0002] The present invention concerns a bearing arrangement for mounting a
gear bolt.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] For example, from the document EP 1 954 964 B1 a transmission with
a transmission housing for a motor vehicle is known, such that in the
transmission housing there is an intermediate gearwheel shaft with an
intermediate gearwheel mounted on it, which meshes with a gearwheel on a
first transmission shaft and with a gearwheel on a second transmission
shaft. The intermediate gearwheel shaft is supported at one end on a wall
section of the transmission housing and at the other end in a half-shell
fixed on a sidewall of the transmission housing by a screwed connection.
Since the bearing points are fixed on a plurality of components the
spatial position of the intermediate gearwheel shaft is disadvantageously
determined by more than one component. Having regard to the manufacturing
quality that can be achieved in mass production, axially skewed positions
of the shafts carrying mutually engaging gearwheels can occur and this
has an adverse effect on the acoustic quality of the gearing concerned.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to indicate a bearing
arrangement of the type mentioned at the start, which enables the most
precise possible centering of a gear bolt as the bearing axle for a
gearwheel.

[0005] Thus, a bearing arrangement for mounting a gear bolt as the bearing
axle for a gearwheel in a transmission housing is proposed, in which, to
mount the gear bolt, an intermediate plate is provided in the
transmission housing so that the gear bolt is held completely by the
intermediate plate.

[0006] Since the mounting of the gear bolt is determined by only one
component, namely the intermediate plate, the gear bolt is accurately
centered so that overall the acoustic quality of the gearing is improved.
Furthermore, the screw connections necessarily required in the known
bearing arrangements for fixing the various bearing components can be
omitted so that, advantageously, the sealing points provided at the
connection points relative to the transmission housing are also no longer
needed.

[0007] To be able to mount the gear bolt on the intermediate plate,
according to an advantageous embodiment variant it can be provided that
the intermediate plate, which for example is fixed on the transmission
housing, has a stirrup-shaped or similar extension. Thus, the gear bolt
is mounted at both ends on one component. For example, the intermediate
plate with the stirrup-shaped extension can be produced simply as a
casting.

[0008] The mounting of the gear bolt preferably comprises two
corresponding bearing points to hold the gear bolt, both of which, in the
bearing arrangement according to the invention, are advantageously
positioned on the intermediate plate with its stirrup-shaped extension.
The bearing points can for example be in the form of bearing bores or the
like, in order to fit and hold the gear bolt as required. Other designs
of the bearing points are also possible. Preferably, a first bearing
point can be provided approximately in the middle of the stirrup-shaped
extension of the intermediate plate, with a second bearing point opposite
the first bearing point directly in the main body of the intermediate
plate. The two bearing bores or bearing points for the gear bolt can
therefore ideally be produced together in a single clamped setting.
Moreover, in contrast to known bearing arrangements this ensures in the
simplest manner that the gearwheel is precisely centered.

[0009] Preferably, the bearing arrangement proposed according to the
invention can be used for reversing gear bolts as the bearing axle for
the reversing gear. However other possible uses are also conceivable, for
example to mount other gear bolts or shafts with their associated
gearwheels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The present invention will now be explained further with reference
to the drawings, in which a possible embodiment variant of a bearing
arrangement according to the invention is illustrated, and which show:

[0011] FIG. 1: A schematic, three-dimensional view of a bearing
arrangement according to the invention;

[0012] FIG. 2: A side view of the bearing arrangement in FIG. 1;

[0013] FIG. 3: A view of the bearing arrangement in FIG. 1, seen from
above; and

[0015] FIGS. 1 to 4 represent, as an example, a bearing arrangement
according to the invention for a reversing gear bolt 1 as the bearing
axle for a gearwheel 2 for producing reversing gear ratios in a vehicle
transmission.

[0016] To produce a one-component reversing gear bolt mounting, in the
bearing arrangement according to the invention the gear bolt 1 is mounted
exclusively by means of a component in the form of an intermediate plate
3 in the transmission housing (not shown). This ensures the precise
centering of the gear bolt, and thus also of the gearwheel 2 in the form
of a double gearwheel, which is mounted on the gear bolt to form a
reversing gearwheel or, in effect, a shaft. Thanks to the optimum spatial
position of the shaft or axle, the acoustics of the reverse gearing 4, 4A
on the gearwheel 2 can be improved.

[0017] The intermediate plate 3 made for example as a casting, comprises a
stirrup or stirrup-shaped extension 5 so that the gear bolt 1 is mounted
at both ends on the one component. As can be seen in particular from
FIGS. 1 to 4, two corresponding bearing points are provided for holding
the gear bolt. The first bearing point is a first bearing bore 6 formed
approximately at the middle of the stirrup-shaped extension 5 of the
intermediate plate 3. The second bearing point is a second bearing bore 7
positioned opposite the first bearing bore 6 directly in the intermediate
plate 3, as can be seen particularly clearly in FIG. 4. In the area of
the second bearing bore 7 the gear bolt 1 is held in the intermediate
plate 3 by means of a screw joint, which secures the gear bolt 1 in the
axial direction. By virtue of their corresponding arrangement the two
bearing bores 6, 7 can be made together in a single production step.

[0018] With the help of the two bearing bores 6, 7 the gear bolt 1 is
precisely centered, so that the reversing gearwheel 2 mounted on the gear
bolt 1 for example by means of needle bearings 9, is orientated optimally
with its two sets of teeth 4, 4A, thereby improving the acoustic quality
of the gearing 4, 4A.